Sri Lanka reactivated its dormant death penalty Saturday for murder, rape and drug trafficking after a near 30-year lull, the government said, a day after a high court judge was murdered in the capital.
There have been no hangings in Sri Lanka since 1976 and while many drug smugglers and murders are on death row, their sentences were effectively commuted to life in prison.
"The death penalty will be effective from today for rape, murder and narcotics dealings," President Chandrika Kumaratunga's office said in a statement.
"The crime prevention unit of the police will be reorganized and strengthened with immediate effect," the statement said.
The Indian Ocean island's police force, short on manpower, has come under fire for not doing enough to crack down on organized crime, especially in the commercial hub, Colombo.
"It's reaching panic levels and you got to have a deterrent and I am happy the president decided to reactivate the death penalty," Inspector-General of Police Chandra Fernando told Reuters.
The move comes after Judge Sarath Ambepitiya was shot dead outside his Colombo home Friday by a suspected drug gang.